Aran cracks the door open, and a Goliath and an elf are looking at him. “Yes?” The goliath pushes the door open and Aran with it. The elf enters behind the goliath and Arden follows them in. The goliath squeals when he sees Ava. He runs in, grabs her in a bear hug, and starts spinning around with her. Since Ava and Kara start laughing, Aran relaxes. Ava says, “Okay, Egg, I’m getting dizzy. Egg, I will get sick if you don’t stop.” Egg puts her down and pats her head, “I’m sorry. I’m so happy you weren’t hurt in all the excitement. Now, where is my subject?” He looks around the room and sees Shae wearing old robes and a blanket. “Oh, this must be her.” He runs over to Shae, “Are you my next masterpiece?” Shae looks at Egg and Ava like she’s facing someone who lost his mind. Kara sits up on the bed and tells Arden, “You may want to have a seat. This will be interesting.” Arden says, “Sadly, I must go to the triage center and check the status. Thank you for that story last night. You enjoy this one.”
Arden walks over to Kara and hugs her. “Good morning. I just wanted to make sure they found their way. Egg said he met you already. Shana is the best bowyer I’ve ever met. I need to get the temple moving for the day and review last night's reports. Bind is in the dungeon. I’ve instructed the guard captain to allow you to see her if you want.” Then he leaves.
The elf looks around and identifies Kara as the leader, then walks over to her and says, “Shana Willowshadow, I’m a bowyer. You requested a bow?” Kara points at Shae as Egg buzzes around her, “Hello, Shanna, I’m Kara, and your client today will be Shae. I guess as soon as Egg gets done.” Shana bows her head and lays a quiver on the bed, then reaches into a Bag of Holding and pulls out three longbows and two hand crossbows. Kara looks at them, and they all look very well made, except for one, which almost looks like something a child would make to play with. Kara asks, “Shana, are these magic?” Shana nods, “Sir Stedz picked these bows personally for her to choose from. He chose these two hand crossbows for her and this Quiver of the Hunt.” Kara says, “I don’t want to insult anyone, Shana, but this, this is too much.” Shana looks at Kara surprisedly, “Nonsense, this city is free now, thanks to all of you. I was in the process of closing my shop and getting ready to escape before things got worse. Most business owners were secretly shipping their wares out so they could close and move elsewhere. So, in my opinion, this is not enough.” Across the room, Egg says, “Well, stand up and let Egg see what he has to work with.” Shae stands on the table and drops the robes and blanket, so she is wearing nothing.
Persi walks quickly over to Aran, who is standing there gawking at Shae. He grabs his arm and says, “We’ll find something to eat and be back later.” Persi drags Aran, who is trying to look as much as possible, as he is dragged out. Egg says, “By the Prime Deities, you are a goddess.” No one has noticed before, but Shae has many tattoos on the right side of her body, most of which appear to be tribal markings. Then he starts moving around her, looking from all different angles, and using his hands to take measurements. Shae says nothing when he touches her; she moves in whatever way he asks or moves her himself. Egg says, “I have what I need; I have a few pieces I think will work, with some modifications; I’ll be back this afternoon.” Egg starts to leave, stops at the door, looks at her again, like he’s verifying everything he just did, “Turn around for me just once more, dear.” Shae turns. Egg squeals, “Goddess.” one last time, then leaves.
Kara tells Shae, “Shae, this is Shana; she has brought some bows for Shae to choose from and some gifts for her.” Shae hops down from the table without a sound and walks over, leaving the robes and blanket on the table, “Shae greets Shana and thanks you for the gifts you bring to Shae.” Shana places a hand behind Shae’s head and brings their foreheads together, “Shana thanks Shae for the service she has done for the city. Shana wishes she could give more.” Both Shae and Shana turn to look at the bows. Ava walks over to see them. One is beautifully carved white wood with inlaid gems, another is black and made of some metal, and the third almost looks like a piece of simple carved wood with a string strung between the ends.
Shae lifts each one, pulls it, and slowly lets the tension out. She ties the quiver around her waist, then takes an arrow, tests notching, and pulls with an arrow in each. Shana says, “Shana wishes she had a better selection, Shae.” Shae sets them down, “Shae thinks all of these are beautiful. Shae will take this one.” She picks up the simple wood one. Ava starts to say something, and Shana says, “That is an excellent choice, Shae. Shana and Cragcall also give Shae these gifts.” She motions to the two hand crossbows. Shae grabs her in a hug, “Shae loves these.”
Ava asks, “Why that one, Shae? The other two look like they are much better bows.” Shae touches the white bow, “This bow is excellent but offers no great benefit to Shae other than being pretty.” She touches the black bow, “This bow sends souls to the under. What if Shae is forced to kill a good person who should go to the after? Shae will not forgive herself if this happens.” She holds up the plain one, “Shae can’t be surprised with his bow. It speaks to Shae and will let Shae know when danger is close. If Shae had this bow last night, Bind would not have gotten close to Kara.”
Shae hands the plain bow to Shana. Shana bows her head and returns the bow to Shae, “Shae of the Swiftwater Tribe, Shana of the Everwater Forest, presents you with this gift on behalf of the people of Cragcall.” Shae lifts the bow from Shana’s hands, “Shae accepts this gift, Shana of the Everwater Forest and people of Cragcall.” This time, Shae places a hand on the back of Shana’s head and brings their foreheads together. Shana places the other two bows in her bag and leaves. Shae leaps up on the bed in one movement, “Now, Shae must go practice with these gifts.” Ava says, “Please put on some clothes before you cause the men around here to go crazy.” Then she thinks to herself, “Is it me? Goddess, she’s smoking hot. I need to see if Zildi wants to finish that game we started.”
Kara walks out with Shana in the hall. Kara gives Shana a curious look, “How did you know to speak like that and use those customs?” Shana says, “I have dealt with the Swiftwater tribe before. They don’t speak in the third person. She’s rather unique in that they respect speaking to them in the same manner as they speak. It is also considered rude to them to speak a language everyone in the room can’t understand. I wasn’t sure if your inferi friend could understand elven, so…” Kara says, “Thank you, Shana. I didn’t know about the language thing with her people. I will let the rest of my companions know. I have a friend who talks like that, and anytime I talk to her, I find myself doing it, too. My wife thinks it’s amusing and cute.” She walks with Shana to the temple entrance and stands there until she is out of sight.
A few plumes of smoke rise over the city. Ava and Shae come running up behind her and slide to a stop. Kara looks at Shae to make sure she is wearing something. Ava is carrying Dawnbreaker. Shae has the quiver tied to her waist as a makeshift belt, the bow in her hand, and the hand crossbows hanging securely from the quiver straps. Kara says, “Ava. I think my hands feel empty.” Ava holds out a hand, and Misery appears; she hands it to Kara. Kara takes a few test swings, then sits Misery on her shoulder. “That feels better. I know the temple has a training ground. I heard them practicing when Arden and I walked around the garden. What says the two of you? Should we go find it?” Both nod eagerly. The sun is up, and Kara looks at it, “First.” Kara sits on the steps and places Misery in her lap. Ava joins her. Shae sits next to Ava and listens quietly as they pray to Elirae, Veleris, and Galathor and thanks them for watching over everyone during the last few days.
The three walk through the main hall and grab a few slices of bread, bacon, and tomatoes to make sandwiches. Kara looks but sees no sign of Aran or Persi. They ask an acolyte where the training ground is, and he points them in the direction they need to go. When they arrive at the training grounds at the temple's rear, they see an area where acolytes can practice with cantrips. There is an archery range and a melee pit, but no one is there except Aran. He is running through some basic solo drills. Persi is sitting on a stool, watching him. Kara brushes up against Ava, “I want to see what you’ve learned so far, and I don’t want you to hold back.” Ava says, “I don’t want to…” Kara interrupts, “I can handle anything you can do. No insult is intended, plus we’ll have Persi close by. I mean it. I want you to give it everything because I will come at you as my brother will come at you. I apologize now, but you need to know what you may face. I’ll have Aran fighting at your side.” She looks at Shae, “Shae? Kara would like to have you fight, too, only with wooden daggers and blunted arrows. Would you honor Kara by displaying your abilities? Shae says, “Shae would be honored.” Kara says, “Then Kara apologizes to Shae also.” Having never seen Kara fight, she gives her a doubtful look.
They walk over to Persi; Aran sees them and stops to see what’s going on. He sees that Shae looks excited, but Ava doesn’t. Kara says, “We’re going spar. Persi, I want you close.” Persi gets a wary look, “I don’t want you…” Kara continues, “I can protect the baby; I’ve sparred while carrying each child,” She looks at and motions to Aran, Ava, and Shae, “You’ll need to protect them.” An acolyte happens to walk by. She looks at her, “Are there any acolytes that can help? We may need some healing. If the temple has the resources to spare?” The acolyte realizes what is about to happen, and she nods. Kara says, “Go get them in case Persi can’t keep up with the healing.”
Aran says, “This is three on one.” Kara says, “You will need some healing. I am not going to hold back, much. All of you need to understand what you will face when my brother comes, and he will come. I need to see what you have learned, and I need to see what Shae is capable of. Ava, I know you’ve watched me spar in the past. I don’t think you’ve ever seen me really fight, beyond when we brought you to Nexus; even then, I wasn’t fighting as hard as I could.”
Ava gets a worried look, “I mean it, don’t any of you hold back. Shae, get some blunted arrows and wooden daggers. Ava, Aran, your weapons are fine.” Shae sets her daggers down, removes the arrows from the quiver, and runs off. Kara turns to the melee pit, holds Misery in one hand, and hits the blade with a knuckle duster on the other; a loud ringing sound echoes across the field. Persi still looks very unhappy. Arden walks up quickly, “What’s going on, Kara?” She turns to him, “I’m sorry, Arden, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I want to see where Ava, Aran, and Persi are regarding their abilities and what Shae can do. I need them to understand what they will face with her brother.” He says, “I don’t like this, but I trust you.”
Some other acolytes come out. Arden points to areas around the melee pit, “Only heal if Persi can’t heal or if it’s life-threatening.” Persi looks in Arden’s direction, “Excuse me? Life-threatening?” He looks at Kara. She shrugs, “If an acolyte heals you, you’re out of the match. You only get back up if Persi or Ava heals you. No potions.” Ava starts bouncing up and down. Aran walks around, hitting his shield with the mace and trying to psych himself up. Shae returns, and Kara casts Magic Weapon on her wooden daggers.
Kara walks to the center of the field and waits for the three to take position. “I mean it, don’t hold back.” She swings Misery off her shoulder. Ava summons the power of The Storm Bringer. A lightning bolt hits Kara, but she ignores it. Her eyes flare with energy as she summons the power of The Dawn Bringer. A beam of radiance hits so close to Ava as she leaps to the side that it sears her hair. Kara floats up off the ground, wings of white feathers and celestial steel blades unfurl from her back and span wide as she fully opens herself to The Dawn Bringer.
Persi opens a vial and says a word. Aran feels the world around him slow. He runs to the right, and Shae launches an arrow that Kara deflects with a wing. Ava points at Kara, and another bolt of lightning strikes her, to no effect. Kara says, “Don’t stop with bolts; understand how you can summon them.” Kara looks at Ava, and a beam of radiance strikes Ava, burning her. “Kara says, “Gaelon will be casting, and he may have abilities similar to mine. The radiance can strike from anywhere. You have to be fast. Aran, use your shield to deflect them. Ava, give yourself to the Dawn Bringer. Shae, be Shae. Show me what you have.”
Aran comes running in and swings the shield in front of him. A wave of force strikes Kara. She braces, but it forces her back, knocking her to the ground and plowing up the sand and sawdust as she slides. Then Aran is in her face swinging the mace, and it bangs off the blades of her right wing.
Kara feels a thud and slight sting as an arrow hits her from the back. Shae has already moved entirely behind her. Then she slips behind a training barrier out of her sight, “She’s as slippery as Ambriel and Encarna.”
Kara barely has time to register. Ava is on her now, too, as her arms bring up Misery to block Dawnbreaker. A crack of thunder, a shock wave, and a flash of light make even the sun disappear at the moment of impact, and sawdust flies in a circular radius across the field. More are coming to the field to watch; some are bandaged Crownsguard.
Aran moves around to her flank and swings low. As the mace passes, Kara cartwheels from hands to wingtips and back to her feet. It is close. A second time, a third, and a fourth, Kara dodges them all, flipping, bending, and cartwheeling, but a spike on the mace draws a line of blood on her forearm. If The Dawn Bringer hadn’t controlled her movements, she doubts she would still be standing.
Another arrow from Shae, but this one misses its mark. Kara releases a beam at Shae, which Shae barely dodges and tumbles away unharmed. Kara swings Misery at Aran and is somewhat surprised when he interposes the shield. She uses the momentum of that swing to make a second, again at Aran, and catches him solidly in the gut; radiant power surges back along Misery and into her as Ava Rebukes her; it doesn’t help Aran any but repays Kara in kind for hitting him. If radiant energy had any effect on her, that would have hurt.
Aran goes down unconscious. Persi opens a vial, whispers arcane words, and the mist races for Aran. Aran's eyes open.
Ava yells at Kara, “I know you can hit harder than that. You’re holding back.” Shae leaps out of nowhere, bringing a dagger down Kara’s shoulder. Kara flinches from the sting and is happy she isn’t using her real daggers. That hurt. Shae brings the second dagger up toward her kidney, but one of her wings gets between the dagger and her back.
Ava brings Dawnbreaker over. Kara casually steps aside, and Ava hits nothing but the ground. A bolt of lightning strikes Kara. That would've hurt if she weren’t immune to it.
Kara charges Misery with the strongest Thunderous Smite she can and strikes a practice dummy made to take hits from very skilled warriors. She calls on the power of Elirae to add all the power possible into the strike, and Misery pulses with pure divine radiance, a low thunderous boom, so low it makes bones ache, radiates outward from the impact. The practice dummy turns to dust as a shock wave destroys the dummy next to it and knocks back the spectators standing nearly thirty feet away. Kara says, “That wasn’t holding back, then takes another swing at Ava; the flat of Misery impacts against her shoulder, and divine radiance pulses through her; as Misery pulses again, the shock wave from the thunderclap pushes against the clothes of the spectators on the other side of the field. Ava feels pain, unlike anything she has felt before as she flies and lands, sliding across the ground and stopping at Arden’s feet.
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Aran jumps up, lands on his feet, extends the shield, and tries to pull Kara into it. Kara makes the same mistake Bind made and assumes it will push, so she braces. Instead, the shield snatches her toward it, and she slams into it with a thud. Aran swings over the shield with the mace, but Kara manages to spin out of the way. Landing behind him. She uses her wings to snatch his feet from under him. He hit the ground on top of the shield.
Shae comes in from behind again, stabbing at her kidneys. Kara feels the burn where the blade would have cut into her, another strike at the same spot; again, even being made from wood, those hurt.
Ava lies on the ground, trying to get her bearings, but she cannot move. Kara goes at Aran again. He still looks hurt from her last hit on him. The flat of Misery hits him solid, driving him into the sawdust. He feels all the breath leave his lungs, and everything goes black.
Persi runs for Ava as a beam of radiance hits him. The pain is almost as bad as the curse, but he powers through, getting to Ava, opening a vial, and pouring it on her. He sees Ava come to her senses. A priest checks Aran; he is unconscious but stable.
Shae spins and brings a dagger for a slice and breaks the skin on Kara’s neck, leaving a red mark. Then she retreats away, dodging and making any strikes from Kara impossible. Shae makes it to some other training barriers.
Kara holds out a hand, and Shae gets ripped off her feet. She tries to grab a hold of anything within reach but misses. She painfully lands at Kara’s feet. A beam of radiance narrowly misses her as she flips and lands back on her feet.
Ava comes running in with Dawnbreaker for a spinning hit, but Kara is not there again. She calls down a bolt of lightning, which hits Kara.
Persi runs for Aran, but there is no way he can make it there before Kara reacts.
Shae tumbles around Kara, twisting and flipping, and lands another solid stab from the dagger. Then she tumbles away again before Kara can do anything to counter. Leaving only Ava as a threat within striking distance of Kara.
Kara spins with Misery, the flat of it impacting Ava’s chest, forcing all the air out of her lungs. Ava once again finds herself flying as the world goes black. Another beam of radiance hits Persi, sending him face-first into the ground, and the world goes out for him. Now, Kara and Shae stand alone on the battlefield.
Shae moves first. She drops the daggers and kicks the bow from the ground, catching it, notching an arrow, and firing in one fluid movement. Kara deflects the arrow with Misery. She holds a hand out toward Shae again; again, Shae is ripped off her feet; it feels like it’s trying to pull her apart from the inside as she lands at Kara’s feet. Barely able to move, she tries to flip up and tumble away again, but she is too slow as she feels the impact of Misery on her side. She sees the world tumble around a few times before everything goes black.
Kara touches back down on the ground, her wings fading into silver dust. Arden walks over to her, “You’ve been busy over the years.” Kara looks at herself, shaking her head, “No, not really. I’m about the same as when I was in Shadowbel the last time we met. Once Lydria was born, I stopped going on dangerous missions. I just tried to maintain it through training. There have been a few times when I got caught in sticky situations. I needed to look after my family. Sasha and I are linked so that if something hurts me, it hurts her. We feel each other’s thoughts and movements when we're together. We become near unstoppable.” Arden shakes his head, “So, you were at this ability level back then?” Kara nods, “Elirae has since blessed me with new boons. But, yes.” Kara tilts her head to the side, “Cyndra has gotten much more powerful. She takes the role of godmother very seriously.”
Kara stands beside Arden and says, “As far as I know, my brother is still Fallen and can’t fly. So, I stayed on the ground. How did they look?” He checks cuts and bruises on her first, then replies, “Aran and Ava need to hang back and protect Persi, even if it means they do nothing but stand there. Shae needs to stay at range and use a bow. My best advice, and you won’t like it, is to run.” Kara nods, “No, I agree. At least for now.” He looks at her, surprised. Kara kneels beside Shae, touches her, and sends healing energy into her. Shae opens her eyes, “Shae is sorry she didn’t do better, Kara.” Kara smiles, “Kara is sorry if she hurt Shae. That is why we had this exercise.” Kara stands and helps Shae up. She looks around the yard, and priests are helping Aran, Ava, and Persi up. Persi looks upset as Kara motions them to come over.
Arden smiles, imagining his daughter, Cyndra, training with Kara and feeling overjoyed that Cyndra has friends like these. “I should return to the temple. Things to do.” He places a hand on her head, sending healing power through her, and musses her hair.
As Persi nears, he loudly says, “I thought you said you weren’t going to attack me?” Kara shrugs, “I never said I wouldn’t attack you, Persi. I just said I want you to support them. My brother will take you out when he sees you supporting us. I know because that is what I would do.” He looks down, “I’m sorry, I assumed…” Kara places a finger under his chin and lifts his head, “Never assume in combat. Always know you are in danger.” She looks at all of them, “Arden and I came to the same conclusion. If we run into my brother, we run. Aran, you, and Ava will protect Persi if we can't run. Shae, you do not drop your bow. You stay within range. I’m sorry. I could have killed any one of you with a single hit. If I can, so can my brother. Now, everyone look at me.”
Everyone looks Kara in the eyes, “All of you did great, considering the odds, Aran. You surprised me with the shield. I expected to be pushed the second time. Ava, use the lightning bolts, stay away and drop them, and ready yourself to attack anything that comes within Dawnbreaker’s reach. Shae, I can’t believe you hit me as often as you did. Stay out of my reach. If you come in with a dagger, ensure you can get away. Persi, focus on anything you can to support us while staying safe. That is far more important than you can imagine.” Arden nods through the entire exchange. Ava asks, “Can you stay and show me some moves, not just stomp me into the ground?”
Kara laughs, “Yes. Aran, you, and Shae spar for now. Later, we will change up so you can get a feel for fighting against different styles. From now on, we spar every day we can find the time.” Persi asks, “What about me?” She looks at him, thinking, “What do you want to do? Research, but pick up a practice sword if you want to learn martial arts. You are the most powerful person we have on the field, Persi, with your spells. You can cast offensive spells, spells to cripple the enemy, and you can support us.” Persi says, “Let me think about it.” She looks at everyone else, “Pair up, Shae. Take it easy so Aran can learn to fight against a dual wielder. Aran, no magical shield pushing or pulling in practice. Ava, no smiting in practice. Persi, go with the acolytes and priests and see if there is anything you can teach each other, magic or tactics-wise.”
After practice, everyone goes to the Main Hall to eat. Aran asks, “What’s next?” Ava says, “Oh, I know. Let’s go to the baths.” Kara says, “Maybe later, I want to start on at least one tattoo. Who is the first volunteer?” Without hesitation, Shae replies, “Shae volunteers, Shae has many tattoos.” Aran, Ava, and Persi sigh with relief. Kara says, “Let’s see your arms, Shae. This won’t be a normal tattoo. This will be a spell-wrought tattoo that Kara will imbue with one of her spells; with it, Shae will be able to cast that spell when you need to. Kara thinks she will tattoo Thunderwave on Shae. You’ll have to be careful with it. It affects everything within fifteen feet, so only hit the people you want to hurt. If Ava is a Storm Avatar, it won’t affect her. It won’t affect Kara, but it will hurt Aran or Persi.” Shae smiles, “Shae likes this.”
Kara looks at Ava, “I want you to watch how I do this because you’re next. I’m going to do something a little more complex with you. I’ll put Hold Person on you. That will take the rest of the day unless.” She looks at Aran and Persi. Would you two go to the market district and find the tattoo shop? Beat on the door, whatever. Find Cyania. She’s a dark green-skinned inferi. Ask her if she would like to come here and help me. Tell her she can draw me, too. Watch your backs and stay together. There may still be some trouble out there.” Persi grabs Aran’s arm, “Come on, let’s go before these tattoos get bigger and we end up with full body tattoos.”
Aran and Persi leave. Ava says, “I was with you when you purchased the supplies. What are those needles for?” Kara smiles at her with an evil grin, “Those are the brushes.” Shae pats the table in excitement, “Kara will use the needles to force ink beneath Shae’s and Ava’s skin.” Ava asks, “Won’t that be painful?” Shae nods excitedly. “Shae’s people use tattoos to signify coming of age.” Shae points to the tattoos on her face, saying, “And of great accomplishments.” She shows some tattoos on her arm, “This is a dire wolf that Shae killed on her first solo hunt. Shae saved this young elf from drowning when she was swept away in a flood.” While Kara explains how the tattoo process works, Kara hears Narcelia’s voice, “Valas en route to Re. He will bring to Shadowbel. I will let you know when they arrive. Could be months. Watch your back.”
Ava asks, “What?” Kara shakes her head, “It’s nothing, maybe everything. The girl Re will hopefully find the right path with a proper mentor.” A lock has been placed on the door to their room, and two paladins stand guard. They snap to attention when the three of them approach. Kara looks at them closely as she enters the room. Ava comes in last and shuts the door behind her, “I guess Arden is worried we pissed a few people off?” Kara gives her a knowing expression, “You have my old Bag of Holding still, Ava; remove the bottles of booze.” Ava says, “I don’t think…” Kara says, “It’s for the tattoos, silly.” Ava looks embarrassed, “I knew that.” She pulls out the bottles, and one is nearly empty. “Persi used it to clean your wounds when the forest was kind enough to assist with our falling condition.”
Kara is arranging the tattoo supplies, and she looks at the bottles. “I think it will be enough. Lay down here, Shae; Kara is ready to begin.” Ava says, “The elf who was here earlier, Shana, I noticed she spoke like that too. Is it a sign of respect?” Shae looks at Kara. Kara nods, “It shows respect and honors Shae.” Shae smiles as Kara cleans her right side with the alcohol. “In your travels, you will meet many people with different customs. For instance, Shana didn’t speak to Shae in the elven tongue because she didn’t know if everyone in the room spoke elven. To her people, it is disrespectful to converse in a group, using a language not everyone understands.” Kara dips the needles in the first ink, then picks up a small mallet, gives it a tiny tap to get off excess, and then uses it to tap the needles on Shae’s skin. Ava winces and looks at Shae. Shae smiles, “Excruciating.”
About an hour later, there is a knock on the door. Ava slowly opens it. One of the paladins is standing there with Cyania behind her. Ava opens it the rest of the way, “It’s okay. We sent it for her. Thank you.” Cyania sees Kara working on Shae, “You’re good. Thunderwave?” Kara nods, “You can draw me while I work on Shae. Ava’s will be a little more intricate. I was hoping you could assist me with it. It would make it go much quicker.” Cyania reaches into her bag and starts pulling out supplies for drawing and tattooing. Em opens and folds down to Kara’s waist so Cyania can see her entire back. She takes a seat behind Kara and starts sketching. Ava sits beside her, “Okay, if I watch? I’m learning to draw.” Cyania looks at her, then touches Ava’s cheek. “Of course, dear. Your skin, it’s so perfect. You’ll be a beautiful canvas.” Ava feels chill bumps cover her.
A few hours later, Egg knocks on the door while Kara and Cyania work on Ava. Egg sees Shae sitting on Ava’s arm as if she has Ava in a wrestling hold. Egg runs over and looks, “OOooh, it’s beautiful.” Ava grits out, “I can’t see.” Kara says, “If you’ll stay still, Shae can let you go, and you’ll be able to.” Shae looks at Ava, and Ava nods. Shae slowly releases Ava, then stands next to Egg. Ava looks, with tears streaming down her cheeks, “It’s beautiful. Why does something so beautiful hurt SO FUCKING MUCH?” Kara, Cyania, and Shae laugh. Egg removes some leather armor from a bag; he doesn’t have it completely out, and Shae is already naked.
Egg hands it to her and watches her put it on. Egg helps her adjust with a few straps. Then he stands back. Shae starts moving around, taking a few steps, then running back and forth, and then tumbles, “Shae loves this, Egg.” Egg reaches back into the bag and pulls out what looks like boots with open toes. “These will help you move even more quietly than you already do. Shae jumps and throws her arms around Egg’s neck, “Shae loves them, Egg. These are marks of great renown among Shae’s people.” She kisses Egg’s cheek. Egg blushes. Shae puts the boots on. Then Egg and Shae sit and watch as Kara and Cyania finish Ava’s tattoo.
Egg thanks them for allowing him to watch and leaves while Kara cleans up. It is after dark when Ava, Cyania, Kara, and Shae emerge. Thankfully, healing ended the pain, but it still hurts. Kara says, “Wait till you see what I have planned for the boys.” Shae says, “Can Ava and Shae watch.” Kara says, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now, how about the baths? Would you like to join us, Cyania?” Cynaia says, “Absolutely. I love the baths. So much canvas to look at and designs to imagine.” The group walks down the temple steps and heads for the baths.
Shae notices several people fall in behind them as they leave the temple.
A few hours earlier,
Aran and Persi leave the temple. As they walk down the steps, Aran asks, “What’s the big deal with tattoos? I think they look awesome.” Persi grimaces, “Have you ever watched a tattoo be created?” Aran shakes his head with a worried look. Persi says, “She has this thing that looks like a small claw on a stick. The claw is made of needles. She will dip the needles in ink, then use a mallet or hammer to tap those needles against your skin to force the ink beneath your skin.” Aran says, “That doesn’t sound too bad.” Persi looks at Aran like he’s insane, “She will do that thousands of times. The ink burns like fire. Plus, she’ll clean it with alcohol, which only increases the pain. Getting tattoos isn’t a rite of passage because they are pretty. It’s because it's pure pain.”
Aran points his thumb at his chest, “I can do it, no problem. Now, where are we going?” Persi says, “After we find Cyania, let’s get the mounts and wagon from the inn. We’ll see if anything catches our attention on the way.” Aran shrugs, “Sounds like a plan. We’ve been cooped up in there too long.” Neither Aran nor Persi notices the people following them from the temple.
Aran and Persi find Cyania with no problem. She is delighted to be invited to the temple; drawing Kara has been the only thing on her mind since she saw that tattoo. Then they head to the stables. When they walk into the stables, it doesn’t look like it’s been kept quite as good as it was a few days ago, but the two draft horses are there, the war horse and the riding horse. Aran checks them and gives each a bag of oats. Persi walks over to the wagon to inspect the supplies. Everything looks in order. He nearly jumps off the wagon when someone says, “I steel be’a keep’n tha gold, wherth’in ye stay’n here’r not. Plus’n me stable boy be guit’n because’n ye gave’n him too much gold. I shoud be charge’n ye more.” Persi holds his hand over his heart, “Yeah, keep the money. We paid in advance. Rent the rooms out if you want. Dammit, don’t sneak up on people like that.” The dwarf laughs, “If’n yay think’n that’a sneak’in, don’t be give’n people a reas’in to be sneak’n up on ya.”
Aran walks around with a shovel, “I’ll clean it up before we move out stuff. You should be able to hire a new stable boy with the extra gold we paid for the stay. Sorry for the trouble.” The dwarf waves a hand in dismissal toward Aran, “Bah, be’n no’s trouble, just’n have’n to find a new boy. I thanks ye for the help.” He blows a puff of smoke out that looks like a horse galloping, then heads back toward the inn. Persi jumps down from the wagon and says, “I’ll check inside and ensure we got everything. Aran tosses a shovel at him. Persi catches it, and Aran says, “We’ll go in and check everything after we finish this.” As he tosses a scoop of manure out an opening in the stable. Persi sighs, “We’ll need to go to the baths after this.” Aran corrects him, “Baths after we move the team to the temple.” Both start mucking out the stables. After they finish, they walk into the inn; there’s not much left besides a few blankets, so they stuff them in a Bag of Holding. Aran waves at the innkeeper and his wife on the way out. The innkeeper puffs a sailing ship out of his pipe and waves back. Aran mounts the war horse and leads the riding horse while Persi steers the wagon.
At the temple, they turn the horses and wagon over to the stable boys, then walk back into Cragcall. Still, neither see their followers. Aran asks, “Baths?” Persi replies, “One stop first. The sun is going down, and I want to stop at the alchemy shop again and see if they have something.” Aran walks alongside Persi while they walk down the street. The sun is just setting when they walk into the alchemy shop; only one gnome is there that they can see, “Hello, ah, welcome back.” Aran and Persi hear the other gnome saying the same thing from a back storeroom. Aran points at the gnome with them, then to the back. The gnomes say, “An experiment a long time ago, somewhat successful, we both see, hear, think and say the same thing, but still as separate people. Twice as much storage, half as much privacy. It took some getting used to. Thankfully, we’re married. No secrets between us. Would the two of you like to have the formula?” Persi lifts his hand, and Aran slaps it down. “No, no, thank you.”
The gnome in the back comes to the front, and the one with them walks to the back. They say, “Well, what can we help you with today?” Persi isn’t sure which one to look at, “I can create Restoration Potions. I want to create potions of Greater Restoration. Any ideas?” The gnomes say, “Oh, you’ll want to create that as a draft; it will be larger and far more potent. It will also take longer to drink it all. Let’s see.” The gnome in the back returns with a book and lays it down with a thud on the table. Aran picks up a ring, looks at it, and starts to put it on. The gnomes say, “You like that; it’s cursed and turns you into a girl.” Aran almost drops the ring as the gnomes laugh. Aran says, “Seriously?” They reply, “No, well, maybe not, just yet. We haven’t imbued it yet.” They look at Persi, “Yep, here it is. We can let you copy the Draft of Restoration for a price.” Persi says, “How about a look at my formulas, and we trade.” They say, “You look awful young to know much.” Aran says, “Did you see the giant meteor?” They both nod. Aran continues, “That is where we are from.” They say, “We look, if we don’t see anything we like, then you have to pay in gold.” Persi says, “Deal.” Then, he retrieves his book and opens it.
The gnomes find several things they’ve never thought of, trade Persi the formula, and offer him the formula to create small stones they can use for messaging each other over short distances. They explain that they work best when placed in earrings. Persi and Aran thank them. It’s well after dark when they leave. Persi says, “Okay, now to the baths. We’ll get cleaned up and head back.” Aran says, “Sounds like a plan.”